One Plus One Equals Three
by thanks-for-the-breasthat
Summary: Hiccup and Astrid are only a few years into their marriage and they never expected an addition to their family quite so soon... (Httyd 2 spoilers)
1. Realization

**After the enthusiastic response to my fluff drabble about the Hiccstrid baby, I decided to do a fic just about that whole situation. Also since there's not enough Daddy Hiccup out there to satisfy my feels, I'm just going to pour it all out into one story. If you like my writing and want to request something for my drabble series, please don't be afraid to shoot me a message! I'm not an endless fountain of ideas!**

"Hiccup, how many times are we going to have to go over this?!" Astrid held up a pair of dirty leggings from the day before.

He paused in the doorway, just having come home to grab his notebook still on his desk. "One more time?" he asked slowly, offering a hesitant smile.

She swatted him with his dirty laundry. "If I wash, you actually put your clothes in the basket and take them out when they're ready to be put away."

Hiccup glanced over at the basket of clean clothes (all his) in the corner of their room, wincing. "Yeah. . ."

Astrid planted her fists on her hips. "If you don't put them away right this instant, you'll be sleeping with the dragons for the next week."

He let out a breathy sigh. "Oh all right." And he glumly went over to the basket to begin folding the wrinkled tunics and leggings.

Astrid left the room, probably to do some more cleaning around the house. Once a week she would take a break from the academy to take care of the house, washing clothes, sweeping out the fireplace, and changing the sheets among other things. Hiccup tried to help when he could, but for the most part, his chiefing kept him busy most days, so Astrid did the majority of the housework.

Getting through the pile of his clothes didn't take much time, and he even put away the few articles of Astrid's clothing that were hidden away in the folds of his. Pink splotched across his cheeks when he pulled out something that first appeared to be a breastband, but then he realized that it was one of the cloths that Astrid used when she was on her cycle.

He set the cloth carefully aside, awkward embarrassment rising in his chest. There were a few more mixed in with the rest of the clothes, and once he had finished putting the rest of their clothes away in the chest against the wall he picked up the pile of linen and went downstairs.

Astrid was shoveling the mountain of ashes from the fireplace into a large bucket. "Is everything put away now?"

"Most everything. Except for ah, these. Where do you—want them?" His voice cracked in his discomfort with the entire situation. He held his arm out in front of him, wishing he didn't have to touch them. There were just some things that he didn't want to have to touch his skin, and those cloths were a prime example.

She finished clearing out the last of the ashes, a soft grey cloud poofing up out of the bucket as she dumped them in. It took her a moment to understand what he was holding, and when the look of realization came over her face, she immediately strode over and snatched them away, eyes downturned from his.

Just because they had been married for three years didn't make talking about. . . things any less awkward. He shifted away. "So, ah, I'll take those ashes out for you."

"Okay," she said and began to climb the stairs back up to their room. He was just about to open the door when she froze on the steps.

He waited a moment for her to move, and when she didn't he hesitantly asked, "Hey, Astrid, you okay?"

She was quiet for a moment, staring down at her hands. "When was the last time you sorted through all those clothes?"

A twinge of annoyance flashed through him, and his brow knit together. "You're really going to start that again? I put them—"

"No, I'm not mad. It's been at least a few weeks, right?"

He thought back. "The last time I remember folding anything was right before I had to repair Toothless's saddle, so I guess that was over a month ago?"

"That was five weeks ago." Her voice was so quiet that he barely heard her. She was still paused on the stairs, one hand against the wall.

The annoyance in his chest shifted away to confusion. "So?"

"Six weeks. . ." Suddenly she made an about-face and bolted down the stairs, tossing the rags onto her chair, opening the door, head down, and rushing out of the house.

"Astrid, what—wait!" Hiccup set down the bucket of ashes, hurrying after her after he processed what she was doing.

She had a head start on him, and quickly made her way through the village. Hiccup could barely keep up with her.

Vikings parted for Astrid, calling out to Hiccup what was going on, and he barely managed a "Sorry, not now," or "I have no idea" before struggling to catch up with his wife.

She stopped at Gothi's door, frantically knocking. The door had barely cracked before Astrid rushed in, shutting it before Hiccup could get inside.

He knocked, trying to push it open, but it was jammed shut. "Astrid! What's going on?" Leaning close to the door he could just barely make out Astrid's frantic voice, but the door was too thick to hear any specific words.

"What's the matter with her?" he heard Snotlout ask from behind him.

"Hel if I know," he muttered under his breath. "Mind your own business," he said to Snotlout.

"Maybe she's pregnant," Snotlout snickered.

Hiccup turned. "Why would she be pregnant."

A sly smile crossed Snotlout's face. "Did no one ever tell you, Haddock? When a man and women love each other very much—"

"Yeah, yeah," Hiccup waved his hand to quiet him before he could get any further. But then it made sense to him.

He swallowed past a knot that had suddenly formed in his throat.

"Can you imagine? Little skinny kids like you running all over Berk? Ha," Snotlout began to cackle with laughter.

But horror was rising in Hiccup's chest. Yes. Yes, all of a sudden he could picture that very much. "Oh leave us alone," he managed to get out, and Snotlout finally strode away, still snickering to himself.

Hiccup chewed on his lip, knocking carefully at the door. "Astrid, please let me in," he said softly, just barely loud enough to travel through the door.

The conversation inside ceased, and he heard the scratch of a piece of wood being moved away and the door creaked inward. Gothi offered him a small smile and let him in.

Astrid stood against a low table facing the opposite window, her hands braced on the wood, knuckles white. He could see her muscles tensed, her head ducked, face hidden from him.

"Hey," he said softly, moving carefully over to her, worried that she might dart away again if he made any sudden movements. He ran a hand over her back, testing the waters. When she didn't pull away, he pulled her against his chest, and she hesitantly wrapped her arms around his waist.

Hiccup looked over her shoulder to Gothi, who was still smiling, nodding to Hiccup in quiet joy. His stomach clenched. "I figured it out," he murmured into her hair.

She was still silent.

"But you should probably say it anyway, because I'm not sure if this is actually happening or not."

He waited for a few seconds, and she finally shifted, turning her head to the side. She mumbled something so quiet that he couldn't hear.

"Hmm?"

"I'm pregnant," she repeated louder, voice tight.

His arms constricted around her ever so slightly. "Are you. . . happy about that?"

She paused. "I'm not sure. Maybe?"

Hiccup couldn't resist a quiet laugh.

"I'll be happy once I actually comprehend what's going on."

Thoughts were flashing through Hiccup's mind. Telling his mom, telling the gang, building a cradle. . . Astrid growing with _their_ babe. . .

Gothi came up to them, and Astrid pulled away from him. The elder rested her hand on Astrid's arm, offering the both of them a knowing smile, which seemed to set Astrid on firmer mental ground.

"You have nothing to worry about," she said, smiling at Astrid, and then to Hiccup. And then she tottered around the cluttered workspace, gathering different leaves and roots from drying racks, jars, and small paper wrappings.

Hiccup waited while Gothi prepared several tonics and teas for Astrid to drink in the coming weeks. He kept a hand on her back the whole while. Though she didn't say much, she didn't pull away either, blond eyebrows drawn together, mouth tight.

Hiccup carried the small bundle of herbs for her as they thanked Gothi and were on their way.

Astrid remained silent for the walk back to their house, and Hiccup couldn't find the words to say anything either.

Inside, she picked up the cloths strewn across the chair and carefully folded the stack of them. "I guess I won't be needing these for a while," she said, cracking a forced laugh.

Hiccup set the packet of herbs on the kitchen table, put out the abandoned bucket of ashes and followed her up to their room.

Astrid was kneeling in front of her chest, rifling deep into her clothes, looking determined.

"Looking for something?" Hiccup asked tentatively. He stood in the doorway, unsure of what to do or say. He didn't want to act as ecstatic as he felt in fear of her reaction.

"Yes, this," and she pulled a small folded piece of light linen out. She shook it out, and once it had settled, Hiccup could tell that it was a baby's tunic, impossibly tiny. "It was a wedding present from my mom," she confessed. "But I didn't want to show it to you. Too much pressure to use it, I guess."

He still stood in the door. "It's so small,"

She shrugged, looking it over and setting it on top of her pile of clothing in her chest. "I never really considered the thought of when we'd actually use it."

Hiccup hesitantly moved towards her, resting a hand on her shoulder, then he drew her up to face him. "You know, you haven't actually looked at me straight yet."

She met his eyes after a moment, and he could see everything from excitement to fear in them. And then suddenly she seemed terrified. "Under what circumstances are either of us ready to be parents?!" She grabbed ahold of his arms. "You can't even put your dirty clothes into a basket, for Odin's sake, and I can barely bring myself to sweep out the fireplace a few times a week."

"And? A fireplace and dirty clothes are a lot different from a kid. I'm sure we will be much more motivated to, you know, feed it."

Astrid laughed at that, and smiled for the first time since her realization.

"Besides, we have plenty of time to get ready for that." He brushed his hands over her flat stomach.

Astrid's worry faded as her features relaxed. "I love you."

He pressed a kiss to her lips. "I love you too. Both of you."

**I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. Can't tell if I'm happy with it or not. What do you think?**


	2. Breaking the News

"I knew it!" Snotlout shouted, pumping his fist in the air. "Hah, I was right, Hiccup."

Hiccup only rolled his eyes. "Yes, you were right," he admitted with a sigh to satisfy him.

Hiccup looked to Ruff and Tuff, who were staring at the couple like they had an arm sprouting out of their heads. "Pregnant? Really, Astrid, you could do better," Tuffnut sighed.

Ruff's face slowly contorted into a wide, sly grin. "What day did you make the kid?"

The rest of the Vikings made sounds of disgust, and Hiccup felt his cheeks growing hot. He glanced over to Astrid who was just staring at her friend through narrow eyes.

"That's not just something you ask!" Hiccup sputtered, crossing his arms over his chest to attempt to look calm when he was anything but it.

"I'm betting it was on Snoggletog," Ruff said to herself, eyes glazing over as if she could imagine exactly what had happened between the chief and the leader of the Academy.

The guess was surprisingly probably on point, which was a fact that scared Hiccup entirely too much. (Ruff really had to stop spying on them).

"Statistically speaking," Fishlegs said, the joy evident in his voice, "it was only a matter of time until this happened. I'm surprised you made it this many years."

Hiccup didn't have to ask how he knew about the frequency of their "alone time." The entire village seemed to know. _Probably because everyone always walks in on us_, he admitted to himself. The voice of reason in his head said, _yeah, because you aren't good at hiding. And apparently you have to get into each other's clothes whenever and wherever possible._

"Okay, enough about Hiccup and I," Astrid said. "The point of telling you is because I'm not going to be able to do some of the things around here like I used to do. I'll be able to finish with this class, but I'm not going to be able to fly nearly as much as I have been. So that means someone else will have to take the next class of recruits. . ." She waited for someone to pick up on her hints.

"Anyone?" Hiccup asked, expectant.

Ruff and Tuff looked at each other, mischievous smiles spreading across their faces as if they already had ways to corrupt the next class. "We—"

"No," Astrid said quickly. "Not you two."

"Then why did you ask us?" Ruff pouted.

"We just wanted to fill you in. An offer for teaching is not on the table," Hiccup said. "Ever."

"Under any circumstances," Astrid added.

"Fishlegs, you're already in charge of the younger ones," Hiccup said, then looked to Snotlout, waiting for him to put two and two together.

He stared at Hiccup blankly. A few seconds passed. "Oh, you guys want me to do it?"

"We decided you would be the lesser of two evils." Hiccup glanced to Astrid. "Of course, you'll have to sit in on Astrid's classes and learn from her what to do."

"So, what you're saying is, you guys need my help?"

Astrid sighed. "Yes, Snotlout, we need your help."

He puffed up his chest. "Well, if a teacher is what you need, a teacher you'll get."

They found Valka in the stables, eyeing over the blueprints for the most recent expansion she was planning. Gobber was with her, explaining all the new stalls and rooms the new caves would offer.

"These rooms over here we can put snow and ice in to keep some of the dragons cooler if they need it. Assuming we finish the construction on time, we'll be a few months early for the snow, but you never know on Berk, of course."

Gobber saw the couple approaching. "Ah, Hiccup and Astrid, just the two people I wanted to see. We wanted to ask your opinion of the new layout—"

"Yeah, Gobber, sure," Hiccup said quickly, cutting him off before he could get into all the specifics of the dragon stables. "But first, there's something else."

Valka smiled at the two of them. He looked to Astrid and saw her chewing on her lip.

"We would like to let you know. . ." He started to say, glancing pointedly at Astrid for her to continue.

She shifted from foot to foot. "Hiccup and I have some great news," she said, voice shaky at first and then picking up a little confidence (not quite excitement yet).

Valka seemed to understand before the words had even left Astrid's mouth, because her face broke into a grin, eyes crinkling at the corners. Her eyes met Hiccup's then darted back to Astrid.

"Come next fall, there'll be a new Haddock in the village, because. . . we are going to have a—baby." The last word tumbled from her mouth as if she could barely say it herself.

Valka let out a hearty laugh and reached forward, pulling Astrid into an embrace before she could resist. "Oh, that's so wonderful! I'm so happy for you both!" She pulled away, smiling at Astrid before reaching out to Hiccup, hugging him tightly.

Behind her Gobber was still processing the information. "Your child will be the terror of the village. A cute terror, no doubt. But a terror nonetheless."

Valka eyed him with a sly smile. "Oh Gobber."

A smile crossed his face. "Oh, all right," he admitted, rolling his eyes. "Congratulations." He reached out to rest a heavy hand on Hiccup's shoulder' his hammer on Astrid's. "Do you know what this means?"

Hiccup glanced to Astrid, but she didn't seem to know either.

"What?" he asked, expecting some profound bit of knowledge.

"You can finally build those designs of yours!"

Hiccup's eyes widened in horror at the release of the plans he'd made a few months ago and shared with Gobber. "She doesn't—"

Gobber realized his mistake too late. "Sorr—"

Astrid looked to her husband, a confused look on her face. "Designs?"

He shrugged, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah. . . I sort of planned out some additions to the house should the need ever arise. . . And now it has."

Astrid's eyes softened. ". . . Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, they're just some ideas, but you can see them if you want."

"Of course I want to see them!"

"Do you mind?" he asked his mom.

"Oh, no, of course not. We can talk more at dinner." She shooed them away.

"I guess we'll see you later then," Hiccup said, lifting a hand to Gobber and Valka.

They left the stables and headed towards the forge where Hiccup still kept his desk, shelves and drawers stuffed to the brim with projects he didn't have the time to complete now that he was chief.

He held back the curtain for Astrid, "Here you go, Milady."

The space was cramped with the two of them in there, but he opened a window to let in some light as Astrid sat down on his chair, then he set to eyeing the shelves, pulling out notebooks until he found the right one. He flipped through a few pages until he found the right one and handed it to Astrid. He watched her expressions as she took in the images.

The first set of pages just bore the floor plan for the expansion: a little more space in the living room to accommodate for the floor space directly above it of a bedroom somewhat smaller than theirs. She flipped the page and her hand went immediately to her mouth, eyes wide as she looked over the illustration of the bedroom: a fireplace against one wall, a bookshelf with a few sketches of books and toys drawn in, a cradle with dimensions scribbled in and the scrawled "Dragon mobile?" next to it. There was a space circled and labeled "for dragons," as well as a chest for clothes.

Hiccup watched her carefully. She was holding her breath, hair hanging over her face so he couldn't see her eyes.

She sat that way for a while, expression hidden from view. He was just about to say something when suddenly her shoulders shuddered and she sucked in a trembling breath.

"Hey. . . Astrid," he knelt down, prying off her hand that was clenched tight around the leather cover of his notebook. She grasped his hand tightly and met his eyes. "If you don't like it, that's fine. I mean, you should have a say in what goes into it, of course. They were just some crazy drawings I did a while back. . ."

"Hiccup, be quiet." She chewed on her lip some more.

He could practically see her thoughts swimming around in her brain.

"Your designs are perfect." Her voice was soft, and she glanced back down at them, avoiding his eyes. "I'm just a little nervous about all this. It's a lot to take in at once."

He reached a hand out and rubbed a thumb along her cheek then pulled her chin up so her eyes met his. "It's a lot for me too. But maybe I've just been thinking about it longer than you have so it's easier for me to deal with."

She nodded. "That makes sense." Her hands slid around his neck. "I just need some time to adjust to it all."

He leaned forward and kissed her. "I understand."

She rested her head in the crook of his neck and shoulder for a moment and he pressed his cheek to her soft hair, arms loosely around her back. "How about we sneak back to the house for a little while?" he suggested.

She was happy to agree and no one saw head or tail of the couple for the rest of the afternoon.


	3. Side Effects

** Astrid and Valka's interactions are so interesting to think about! I just really want to write about them (and I think Valka would have no inhibitions talking about things that she doesn't realize other people find uncomfortable). Enjoy!**

Astrid waited until Hiccup had left the house to go meet with a farmer on the edge of the village. She watched him leave through the upstairs window until his heavy fur cloak was over the hill and then she shuttered the window in their room. With curiosity and nerves all a jumble in her stomach, she propped her small hand mirror against the wall on the nightstand and pulled her nightshirt over her head, turning sideways to look at the profile of her hips and stomach.

She had to bend her knees a little to see what she was looking for in the small mirror, the small swell low between her hips. She'd discovered it last night while lying in bed, absentmindedly running her hands over her stomach. After that she'd been all but dying to see it, curious and afraid.

She turned and looked at it from every angle, analyzing what she saw. From the front, it was invisible, from the sides it wasn't very obvious, but the more she stared, the more it seemed to stand out.

Her fingertips slipped over the bump. Of course she'd witnessed other women's pregnancies over the years but none of the women had ever been close to her. They were more of a name and a face in the village, someone that she would see around, impossibly large when they reached the end of their term. She only remembered seeing them complaining of their aches and ailments, and had sworn that she would never end up like that. And now here she was, ready to be doing just the same.

"A-Astrid?"

Horror rose in her at the sight of Hiccup standing in the doorway of their house. She immediately covered her stomach with her hands, as if that were the most important thing to hide (or as if he hadn't seen all of her before). "What are you doing here?!" she sputtered.

His hand was on the doorframe of the bedroom, eyes flashing down before looking at her face. Her cheeks were burning. "I forgot that my pencil doesn't work. Need to get a new one. . . What are _you_ doing?"

She avoided eye contact. "Nothing." She could see him glance to the mirror, then back at her.

"You don't have to hide that from me, you know. I'm sort of responsible for it." He smiled. He must have liked the thought of him being the one that got her pregnant because he wouldn't stop bringing it up over the few weeks that they'd known.

"I just didn't want you to see." Astrid stayed planted firmly in the same spot, palms pressed into each other while he walked over to one of the shelves into the wall, fishing through a cup of pencils until he found one that seemed to satisfy him.

"Well, I'm going to go now. . ." He walked over to her, and she looked up at his face, chewing on her lip in worry. His arm wound around her bare waist and she let out a little yelp as he pulled her against his chest, buckles and leather bits pressing into her thighs and stomach. The ragged fur of his cloak tickled her shoulder.

His lips came down on hers, teeth bumping. When he pulled away, his stubble scratched her cheek as he whispered in her ear, "Regardless of why, it's more than a little nice to walk into a room and be surprised with my mostly naked wife."

She smiled, embarrassment dissipating. "While you're at it, you'd better enjoy it because I'm about to get a whole lot bigger."

He chuckled, breath washing over her neck. "I'll still want you when you're huge."

She sighed at his last word. No matter what sentence it was strung on the end to, it still meant that she was going to get fat. So fat.

"Wait, don't tell me that the biggest thing you're worried about right now is your body?" He pulled back, giving her a wry smile.

"No," she said, looking at his chin (he really did need to shave). "Other things too."

He laughed. "Oh all right," he said in a tone of voice that let her know he definitely didn't believe her.

She pushed at his chest. "You need to get going."

He let her go reluctantly. "I suppose I should."

"And I need to get dressed." She slipped away from him and moved towards the door.

"See you later," he said, and she felt him give a quick pinch to her rear before darting away laughing, leg clanking down the stairs and out the front door.

She laughed to herself and rolled her eyes at her foolishly silly but terribly endearing husband and set out to get ready to go to the Academy.

Everywhere it seemed either Hiccup or Astrid went, and especially as a couple, they would receive congratulations, which Astrid could deal with well enough. It was the questions that got under her skin.

"Have you thought about names?"

"Do you want a boy or a girl?"

"When will he or she be born?"

But even more annoyingly were the "words of wisdom" that so many people seemed to have.

"Make sure you only use black wool in the blankets, it keeps them warmer."

"Let him cry at night on his own when he's being fussy. It'll teach him to take care of himself."

However, the worst of all possible topics that Astrid had to sit and listen to were some of the women who would ask completely embarrassing questions. Valka happened to be the one to start.

The three of them were sitting at a table in the hall, talking over dinner, about the baby of course. Everything had suddenly shifted to "the baby" now.

"Astrid, I just wanted to let you know that if you ever have any questions, you can always come to me."

Astrid smiled at her, with no intentions of taking her up on the idea whatsoever. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

"I say that because I remember it was so difficult to ask my mother about it. And Stoick's wasn't around. . ." she looked off into the distance. "I would have liked to have someone I could talk to. And there's so many things to know," she rambled on. "Especially when you get further along. Things about the birth, the baby."

Astrid shifted in her seat uncomfortably, shoveling fish into her mouth so she could pretend that her mother-in-law wasn't about to go down the road she thought she was. She didn't even want to look at Hiccup. Although he wasn't too squeamish, girls in general had always seemed to make him uncomfortable. And talking about women's bodies was probably highest on his list of conversation topics labeled "extremely dangerous, kill on sight."

"And of course, you'll probably need help with breastfeeding and everything that happens to your body after the birth." She laughed, apparently oblivious to Astrid's extremely uncomfortable attempt at a smile. "For Odin's sake, Hiccup even though you were early, you did quite a lot of damage and—"

"Mom, some of us at this table are still eating," Hiccup interrupted through a mouthful of carrot.

She suddenly seemed to find herself and blinked at the two of them. "Oh there's nothing to be worried about, it's perfectly natural."

Astrid's stomach was twisting and turning over on itself in a way that suddenly wasn't very natural at all. She looked down at the plate in front of her, and the fish suddenly looked slimy and altogether too much like a pile of very raw cod. She choked back a gag, and was stumbling over the bench, hand over her mouth, running from the hall.

The smell of the dinner permeating through the air seemed to be the most revolting stench she'd ever smelled in her life and she barely made it outside before she emptied her dinner on the grass to the side of the dirt walkway. The fresh evening air calmed her stomach.

"Astrid?" Hiccup's hand was immediately on her back.

She was trembling, a clammy, sweaty feeling coming over her as she spat and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand.

Hiccup pulled her hair back, saying nothing as she braced her hands on her knees and just breathed for a few moments.

"Feel better?"

She shook her head, not ready to talk yet. The nausea hadn't quite passed.

After it had eased a little bit, she mumbled, "I want to go home." She'd had it with all of the talk about babies, the awkward comments about her body, as if that was anyone else's business.

"Of course, let's go."

"What about your mom?" Astrid let him leave his hand against her back as they set off for their house. She didn't feel like protesting.

"She understands." She was so fed up that she didn't care she was being rude.

Thankfully, they made it back with no body passing by and asking what was the matter, and Hiccup took her hand once they were inside their dark house, leading her upstairs. "I'll go get you some water so you can wash up," he said once she'd sat down on the edge of the bed.

She only nodded, slipping her feet out of her boots and shedding her woolen socks.

He disappeared downstairs, and she heard the door shut behind him. By the time he'd gotten back, she was in her nightgown and laying on the bed, the thoughts of the slimy looking fish sending her stomach churning again.

She groaned into the pillow. It was a long night and an even longer next eight months.

** I wrote this quickly while I was tired, so I'm sorry for any mistakes!**


	4. Long Nights

** I originally posted another chapter in place of this one, but after a few hours of having it up, I decided that it didn't work with the story, so I wrote this one instead. Enjoy!**

"Mmm, harder," Astrid moaned. She rolled her neck, eyes slipping shut.

Behind her, Hiccup's thumbs pressed more firmly on her lower back, kneading the tight muscles just below her waist. His fingers hit a particularly sore spot and she winced, fingers tightening their grip on his knee through his leggings.

"There?"

She nodded and tugged at her breast band with one hand. The cotton wrap was starting to itch, and she pulled the pin out, peeling the wide strip away. Ahhh, relief at last

"I can't believe how tense you are. You really should relax more often," he said in disbelief as his hands skimmed up her bare back to her shoulders, pressing into the muscle at the nape of her neck.

"You try carrying around a baby and then we can talk about tense backs," she said, the hand on his knee moving to touch the now more than slight bulge sitting low on her stomach, just above her underwear. Even though it was still small compared to what it would be and she was only a little over three and a half months pregnant, already her back was protesting to the extra weight, cramping up and aching at the most inopportune times.

He laughed and kissed her shoulder, "All right, it's only fair, I'll get the next one."

She looked at him over her shoulder, trying not to smile at the wry face, messy hair, and those collar bones of his peeking out from the open neck of his green shirt.

"What?" he insisted, shoulders bobbing in their usual way.

She only shook her head and smiled, turning her head back around to look at the fire across the room. It needed another log. "We haven't even had one yet and you're already talking about more." She pulled the fur lying in a jumble at the foot of the bed up over her crossed legs.

"And?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, now," she laughed softly. "Berk can only handle so many little Hiccups running around."

"What about little Astrids, hmm? Those aren't so great either." He chuckled and she elbowed him in the ribs.

"Let's just make it through a few years of one kid before we talk about more, okay?"

"Okay, okay," he sighed dramatically and wrapped his arms around her bare stomach, pulling her back against his chest, legs parted around hers.

She leaned against him, head under his chin. His neck was warm against her skin, and he smelled ever of dragons' smoke and leather.

"Do you really have to go out tonight?" she asked, turning on her side, looking up at him but already knowing the answer.

He rubbed his stubble. "Yeah, you know I do. Sorry."

Ever since the near complete destruction of Berk, Hiccup had established a series of nightly watches, and since he was the one who'd asked other men and women to disrupt their nights for the sake of the village, he'd told her that he only thought it fair that he did the same.

But tonight she just wanted to have him home with her. "I'm sure no one would mind if you stayed home with your pregnant wife. You already do so much for the village."

He sighed, a crease appearing in his forehead. "Astrid, don't try to tempt me."

A sly smile spread on her face. "I wasn't trying to tempt you, it was more of guilt you into it. But if you want me to tempt you. . ." Her leg slid over his and her hand skimmed down his chest, down his stomach. She pressed a kiss to the side of his neck, his stubble scratching against her cheek.

"Astrid," he murmured, strained. He stirred beneath her hand. "That's not fair."

She chuckled against his throat. "Life isn't fair, Babe."

"Oh come on, I don't have much time before I need to be getting up," he pushed her hand away, but she only settled it back where it had been.

"Just look at me and tell me that you don't want to stay." She put a little more of an arch in her back, moved her arm to the side a little so he could see her breast pressed against his chest.

His eyes darted to her face, then down her body and he swallowed noticeably. "You're cheating, this isn't fair," he insisted, rather weakly she noted.

She pouted out her bottom lip, exaggerating her "surrender" as she sat up. "I suppose you're right."

When she slid out of bed, he asked, "Where are you going?"

"The fire needs more wood," she said innocently, batting her eyelashes. "And these are getting uncomfortable." She slid her underwear down, stepping out of them, adding a little sway in her hips as she crossed the room, keeping her legs mostly straight as she bent down to pick up one of the smaller logs. Her back was aching with the movements, but she ignored it, tossing the log onto the fire and brushing her hands off.

"Astrid. . ."

She smiled at him, crossing her arms under her breasts. "Yes?" She cocked one hip out.

"You know you're twice as beautiful with my baby in you."

She paused, surprised by the answer. "_Your_ baby?" She ambled closer to the bed.

He reached out and pulled her to him, all hesitation gone from his eyes, replaced with urgency. "Yes, _my_ baby."

She crawled into bed, smiling, finally having won.

Hiccup was only a little late, and the others didn't say anything.

Astrid awoke some time during the night to the sound of Toothless's claws on the wooden floor next door in he and Stormfly's private little stable. She listened to the clink of the metal parts of Toothless's saddle as Hiccup took it off and put it away, and then the hiss of the Night Fury as he warmed the stone that he slept on.

The door between the two rooms opened and she saw Hiccup's figure sneak in, illuminated with the dying embers of the fire.

"How was your flight?" Astrid whispered, not wanting to startle him.

He started regardless and squinted towards the bed. "You're still awake?"

"I heard you come in."

"Oh. It was boring. I'm so tired. I almost fell asleep."

Astrid slipped out from under the furs and started to help him off with his flying gear: a less complicated adaptation of his flight suit that was just to clip onto the saddle so he wouldn't fall out. She loosened the buckles at his waist while he took the laces of the vest, and then he eased out of it.

She pulled him closer by his shirt front and smoothed down his windblown hair. "It's hard to fall asleep without you," she said, kissing his lips. They were a little chapped from the wind, but she didn't care.

"I'd much rather have been here, with you."

"Then let's get to sleep," she drew away and pulled his hand towards the bed. He willingly went with her, and while she knelt in front of him, folding his pants leg up to undo the fastenings of his prosthetic, while he pulled his shirt over his head and leaned back, not interfering with what she was doing.

Although she said nothing, she was surprised that he let her take off his prosthetic for him. Usually he would gently push her away, saying he could do it himself. She'd always thought that it was because even though they were more than familiar with each other's bodies, he was still embarrassed to let her see his scar, the burns that contorted his flesh up to mid-thigh.

But that night he only leaned back on his elbows, watching her as she placed the contraption against the nightstand and peeled off the padded sock that he wore over his stump. She glanced up at him when his leg was bare, and there was an expression she couldn't read on his face. Just to reassure him that nothing about his leg bothered her, she bent down and kissed the top of his burned knee, and then the start of the silvery white bands where they'd placed flesh over the wound to close it off.

Astrid glanced up and found that her husband's face was now a strange bittersweet mix of a smile and sadness. "What is it?"

He shook his head and reached for her, drawing her into bed with him. He curled around her, one arm under her head, the other over her waist. Her back pressed against his warm chest, hips in the bend of his.

"I just love you, that's all," he said, breath against the back of her neck.

"I love you too." She reached down and touched his leg. "All of you."

His arm only pressed a little closer to her and she closed her eyes, tired and finally comfortable. Her fifteen year old self never could have imagined that she'd be married to the chief, that _Hiccup_ would be that chief, that dragons would be sleeping a door over, and most of all, that there would be a baby in her belly. But then she realized that there was nothing better, and nowhere else she'd rather be.


	5. Passing the Time

** Fun fact of the night: Thanks to the research I've been doing for this story, my computer now thinks that I am pregnant and gives me ads for things like pregnancy trackers and baby name websites…**

The days added up into weeks, which added up into months quicker than ever. Astrid was able to do less and less, and Hiccup often found himself at the focus of her frustration with having to give up so much of her daily life. He tried to do the best he could to take care of her, hold back her hair and rub her back while she was heaving up her lunch (thank Odin that stage had passed), massage her back when it hurt, even rub her smelly feet when they'd started to swell up a few weeks ago, but her reactions were always unpredictable. At first she'd pushed away any help he offered, but as the fifth month of her pregnancy had dawned, she'd finally given up and let him do what he wanted to help. But even then, sometimes she snapped at him to leave her alone and he'd sleep on the far side of the bed, usually waking the next morning to her curled against his back, growing belly pressing against his spine.

And he had to love the times where she couldn't seem to get enough of his attentions. At one point, she'd asked to speak with him privately in the middle of a meeting with a visiting tribe and practically attacked him in the empty kitchens of the hall, tugging at his belt before he even had a chance to realize what was happening. Not to mention the time where he'd gone into the office he still kept in the forge and found her waiting on his desk, skirt bunched up, a hand between her thighs. Now _that_ had been quite a nice surprise. And on top of all of that, her breasts had seemed to practically double in size along with her belly.

But then there were the not so great days as well. And today just happened to be one of them.

Hiccup had awoken countless times in the middle of the night to Astrid getting up to relieve herself, bumping into the chest by the door as she unsuccessfully navigated around the room. And when she'd been in bed, she tossed and turned, one moment stealing all the furs for herself, leaving him to try to curl to her back while she just shoved him away, mumbling, "not tonight," and the next she was groaning, kicking off the whole pile where it fell to the floor.

When he rose at first light, she was asleep, head barely on the pillow, legs sprawled, toes just under the fur he'd pulled back onto the bed. He would have kissed her goodbye, but he'd been too afraid of waking her, so he had only given her one last glance over his shoulder, reassuring himself that she'd be fine, and had left to go get some breakfast before he set out to solve a land dispute that had arisen between a few of the farmers on the outskirts of the village.

He returned around midday to check on Astrid, and he found the house an absolute disaster: the bolt of linen he'd traded for last week was spread across the kitchen table, a pair of shears sticking up out of the wood surface, a spool of uneven thread tangled in a ragged nest. There were a few nondescript shapes cut out of the linen, the pieces nowhere to be found, and there were a few muslin scraps with charcoal scribbles on them lying beneath the table.

"Astrid?" Hiccup called after he pried the shears from the table.

Hearing nothing, he climbed the stairs and poked his head into their room. Astrid was laying on the bed in the dress that she'd taken to wearing during the day now that she'd outgrown her skirt, back to him.

He whispered her name. No response. He kept his footsteps quiet as he walked over to the bed and leaned over to see that her eyes were closed. But then he paused, noticing for the first time the bags under her eyes, the fatigue wearing at her features.

Hiccup had encountered far more rumors about pregnancy than he'd encountered pregnant women, and so far the "joy of a new life" hadn't quite seemed to occur in Astrid yet. He knew that she'd spent far more time miserable with indigestion, sore breasts, aching feet, and nausea than she'd spent "glowing" with the presence of their little son or daughter. Maybe it was different for other women, but he suddenly felt sympathetic towards her pain, and decided that his afternoon duties could wait.

Astrid let out a small groan in her sleep and shifted, folding into herself, arms around her protruding stomach, under which she'd stuffed a pillow.

Hiccup sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling off his boot and shedding his prosthetic before easing onto the mattress next to her. He'd only just started to close the distance between them when she rolled over, eyes squinting in the daylight.

"Hiccup? What are you doing home?" she mumbled, rubbing her eye with her knuckle.

He tried to pull her closer, but she pushed him away.

"Wait, hold that thought."

She wobbled a bit on her feet as she struggled to get out of bed and then make her way quickly downstairs.

Hiccup sighed, falling back onto the scattered pillows. He should have known better than to expect that they could have a few quite moments without her needing to get up and pee. By the time he heard her making her way back up the stairs, he'd sorted out the furs on the bed and had set the pillows right.

"Feeling any better?"

She shrugged. "No worse than usual."

He noticed that her stomach was just beginning to expand past her breasts, and though it was strange to see her pregnant, it was also oddly satisfying to Hiccup. He tried not to smile when he thought about his doing in getting her to that point.

"Should I ask what went on downstairs?" he mentioned after she'd settled back down.

Pink rose on her cheeks. "I was just trying my hand at some baby clothes. But then I ruined the pattern that my mom gave me and I didn't want to waste all that nice thread after it got tangled and then the shears weren't working so I—"

"Stabbed the table with them?" he finished for her.

Her brow furrowed. "You don't have to be mean about it, I was just frustrated and—" She froze, hand flying to her stomach.

"Hey, you okay?" Worry flared in him.

A smile spread on her face, the first he'd seen in a while. "Give me your hand."

Her long fingers slid over his, pulling his palm across her belly, stopping just above her navel.

"What?" And just as the word finished leaving his mouth, he felt the jostle of a movement against his fingers. Too surprised to say continue, he just looked at Astrid, eyes wide.

And then he was beaming at her, smiling because suddenly there wasn't just a bulge in his wife's stomach. She wasn't just being moody or difficult, there was a real, _alive_ honest to goodness babe that they would get to see in just a few short months.

He couldn't be more terrified or excited to meet their child.


	6. The Big Day

**Disclaimer: I have never given birth. I tried to do some research, but research really doesn't stack up to the actual experience. (Then again, I'm pretty sure that most of you reading this probably haven't had a baby, so if there are any inconsistencies, maybe they will go unnoticed?)**

Hiccup offered Astrid his arm as they stepped out of the hall into the brisk fall air and for once, she actually accepted his help. "Well, this is a nice change of habit," he said as she held on a bit more firmly, slowly making her way down the stone steps.

"Oh hush," she demanded, but he could hear the playful tone in her voice. And also the weariness. With the baby due within the next few weeks, even days, he knew she'd been utterly miserable: aching joints and swollen feet and the general discomfort of carrying a tiny human around at all hours of the day and night.

"So what'll it be tonight, milady? Back rub? Leg massage?" he asked lightly, glancing down at the hand on her stomach. She was biting on her lip. Though she hadn't said anything, he knew she'd been feeling worse for the past few days, getting less sleep and more kicking and late night activities from the baby.

She didn't reply and he stopped in the fading evening light.

"Astrid, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm as good as I can be." She offered him a tired smile.

He brushed a hand along her cheek. "You'd tell me if there was anything I could do?"

She nodded, leaning into his hand. "Let's just get home, I'm ready to go to bed."

"Sure." He lifted her chin and kissed her. "Anything you want."

They made their way slowly but surely down the path towards their home perched on the hill overlooking the village and just a few yards from the door, Astrid let out a muttered curse and put a hand to the back of her dress.

"What is it?" Hiccup asked before he realized the only thing it could be. He glanced over her shoulder to the telltale wet stain spreading out under her legs. He felt like keeling over just then, knees weak.

"I should get changed," she said after a moment of silence, pushing open the door to their home as if it was perfectly normal.

"Wh-what, that's it? We're just going to go inside and act like everything is normal?"

She looked to him over her shoulder, not looking the least bit concerned. She shrugged. "There's no use getting worried. It just means we'll be doing a lot of waiting around for the next day or so. Now are you just going to stand outside or can I take you up on that back rub?"

Now. Oh Gods it's starting. He laughed nervously and somehow managed to get his feet working to follow her upstairs. His stomach was doing little nervous flips. "How are you feeling?"

She eased down on the edge of the bed, stomach bulging in front of her as she attempted to pull her boots off. "Hiccup, please calm down, I'm perfectly fine."

"If you say so. . ." He reluctantly sat down, feeling as if the last thing he should be doing was sitting down, but she let him help her off with her dress and change into a fresh one. And then they sat in their respective chairs next to the fire, Astrid finishing up the socks she'd been knitting for the baby in the coming winter months, Hiccup pretending to read the new changes to the Book of Dragons that Fishlegs had wanted him to give a look over.

He kept glancing up at her, painstakingly searching for an excuse to get up and say something.

"Hiccup,"

He bolted out of his chair, book falling to the floor. "WhatshouldIdo?!" His heart picked up an uneven rhythm.

Astrid jumped at his reaction, blinking at him in surprise. "I just wondered if you'd get me some water."

"Ah." His cheeks pinkened.

She offered him a small smile, and before he embarrassed himself any more he went to get what she'd asked for.

After a while, Astrid put aside her knitting and pushed herself out of the chair. "I think I'm going to get some sleep while I still can. You probably should too."

"Sounds like a plan," he said, trying to keep his voice calm, following her to bed.

But after he'd blown out the candle and settled into the furs, all he did was lie there, thinking about what the next day might bring.

At some point, Astrid grew restless, turning over every few minutes. After Odin knew how long, she leaned up on her elbow in the darkness, whispering, "Hiccup, wake up."

He pretended that he'd been sleeping and not lying awake in the dark with agitated dragon wings flapping about in his stomach. "Hmm? What is it?" His throat dropped, because he knew exactly what it was.

"You'd better go get your mom and mine. And hurry back."

Hiccup had never felt so useless in all his life. Here, his strong and brave wife who never complained of any pain at all was groaning and practically screaming, clutching the front of his shirt as she half leaned against his chest, face in his shoulder. And there was nothing he could do about it but sit and have the circulation cut off from his fingers when she squeezed his hand.

And the most horribly terrifying part of the whole ordeal was that it only got worse. As the hours oozed by and the sun rose, she was still in pain and as her mother had said, nowhere close to being done. Sheer terror was the only thing keeping Hiccup going as midday approached, and the fact that his wife was now probably breaking the bones in his arm as she held onto him through the contractions. She'd sweated through her nightgown long ago, and at long last, Valka suggested that she stand up because, yes, finally, the baby might be coming.

Hiccup could only imagine that his face was bone white as he wordlessly helped his groaning wife up and there was so much going on that he could barely focus past the sounds of the two mothers in the room speaking to each other, to Astrid. He only held onto his wife, a hand against her sweaty back, his eyes wide as everything was happening at once. And suddenly there was talk of a head, which sent his mind reeling at that mental image, the attempted controlled breaths from Astrid, and the fleeting glimpse of what was going on barely out of his sight. Before he knew it, there was a shrill cry in the air, and Astrid was squatting on the floor, her mother toweling off the white and pink little body that seemed both small for a human and exceptionally large to have just come out of his wife.

His heart was pounding somewhere into his throat as he watched the baby, a girl he realized, struggling with a contorted mouth and scrunched eyes, limbs flailing. And that little bloody wailing human was his daughter.

Hiccup's eyes seemed to blur over as Astrid let out another groan and something else that wasn't a baby at all slid onto the towel beneath her. He fought back the urge to run away. He'd seen too much. Far too much.

His mom was saying something to him, a hand on his shoulder, but she seemed so far away, he couldn't understand what she was saying. Astrid was trembling under his arm and he tried to help her back to the bed, but she grabbed ahold of his hand, shaking her head.

"Can't move yet," she said, catching her breath. She eased down to the floor, the bloody towel gone, removed sometime in the last minute, replaced by another.

Hiccup took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself. It didn't work.

"I think you might look worse than I do," Astrid said quietly, looking up at him.

He gave her a shaky smile. "Probably." His voice cracked.

The wailing of their daughter filled the empty space as Mrs. Hofferson wrapped her in a clean blanket and handed her over. "I'm so proud of you, Astrid," she said, smiling (quite an extraordinary event, but then again, this wasn't an ordinary day).

Hiccup stared down at his wife and their daughter, whose wails paused when Astrid held her to her chest, stroking the little cheek. And suddenly his emotions clicked into place all at once. He was a father. Odin help him.


End file.
